Crows Embarrass Cats

Adelaide have demolished Geelong by 50 points today at AAMI Stadium in a contest that was all but over midway through the second quarter.

Rory Sloane was superb- http://www.flickr.com/photos/zarabee/

The match was completely controlled by the Crows in an alarming fashion from the Cats perspective, as Geelong simply could not exude any influence over the game. The Crows pressure was sublime, creating uncharacteristic mistakes from a Geelong unit that simply seemed startled from the hardness shown from Adelaide.

Scott Thompson was prolific, finishing with 34 disposals, including 21 contested – nine more than any Geelong player – and set the tone early with his phenomenal work rate. His example forced his team mates to follow, and by half time Geelong were facing a deficit rarely seen against the champion side of the past five years.

The twin towers Taylor Walker and Kurt Tippett finished the hard work of their midfield beautifully, combining for 13 marks, six of them contested and five goals, causing massive headaches for the normally composed Geelong back six.

Their strength overhead forced Geelong to react to their presence, allowing the Crows midfielders to move forward in space and attack the scoreboard themselves. The result was an even spread of goal kickers, with 13 players getting their name on the score sheet, more than double than what the Cats could manage.

Joel Selwood was the best of the Cats, finishing with 29 touches and two goals, but he was the only one who seemed capable of handling the pressure.

It’s been quite a turnaround from Adelaide, who looked genuinely enthusiastic about exerting defensive pressure on their opponents in 2012, something that has been missing from their game for the past few seasons. As a result, their forwards benefit, and it has seen a sharp rise on the ladder for the Crows.

The opening term began as a shoot out, with teams trading goals whilst trying to establish superiority through the middle. Midway through the term, thanks largely to Thompson’s efforts, the defence of the Cats broke, and the floodgates opened for the Crows, who could not put a foot wrong.

They lead by 63 points at the major break,and the game was already out of Geelong’s reach.